From Astrology to Science - everything reveals a facet of Sanatana Dharma.

Friday, August 11, 2017

Effect of eclipse on pregnancy – Myth or reality?

As the world is bracing for the 2nd
eclipse within a month (visible in the USA), the effect of eclipse on human
beings is doing rounds now – particularly on growing foetuses in the womb. A recent
article published in Livescience.com seeks to assure people that eclipse-effect
on pregnancies is a myth. So be it!

But after going through that article and the
embedded ones on medical opinion on eclipse effect on pregnancies, I am constrained
to say that they have just mouthed their opinion without any back-up research
on the subject. When I searched the internet for any research article on
pregnancy and eclipses, there is absolutely none. No one has so far studied
whether any eclipse occurred during the pregnancy period of a child that was
born with cleft-palate – as the belief is that cleft-palate is caused when the
pregnant mother is exposed to eclipse.

The next issue of research is whether an eclipse occurred
on the 3rd month of the pregnancy, because the cleft –palate / lip
syndrome occurs only in the 3rd month. To be more precise, it is
during the 9th week or the early part of the 3rd month of
the foetus, the two plates of the skull must join to form the hard palate or
the upper roof of the mouth. When they join, the two sides of the nose and the
upper lip are also joined to form a complete nasal cavity as distinct from oral
cavity and a complete upper lip. When they do not join during this period of
development in the womb, the baby is born with a cleft palate or a broken
palate having a gap in the upper roof of the mouth.

There is no study linking this phase of foetus with
eclipses.

Further on, the next issue is to compare the occurrence
of cleft palate / lip when there was no eclipse during the 3rd month
with those with the defect when there was eclipse in the 3rd month.

Without testing these basic issues on eclipse- cleft
palate/lip myth, it is not proper to say that eclipses don’t affect
pregnancies.

Eclipses don’t affect pregnancies - that’s true. But
traditional opinion prevalent in Vedic society is that exposure to eclipse might
cause cleft palate. This must be applicable to only the 3rd month of
pregnancy when the two halves of palate and lip must join. Though I have not
come across any literary authority for this claim, we in Vedic religion believe
and follow the traditional view – as we trust the wisdom of our ancients.

The livescience article also makes a reference to
Mahabharata written in “400 BC” on Rahu- Ketu myths of eclipse. These are
myths, everyone knows that, but there are olden treatises on how eclipses occur
and how to determine the time of eclipse which are almost exact. We in India
have a better perception of sifting the truth from the myths. At young age we
learn everything as stories because it is easy to remember stories and most
stories have the element of good – bad or hero-villain like clashes. As we grow
and look back at the stories, we can’t help admiring how clever the ancients
were in weaving such stories with subtle truth hidden in them. The eating of
sun and moon by Rahu /Ketu is one such intelligent story. Rahu and Ketu are the
nodes, and it is true that eclipses occur when the two luminaries pass through
the exact points of nodes simultaneously.

On the astrological side, I have analysed the horoscopes
of 10 people having cleft palate / lip. 7 of them had cleft palate with cleft
lip. Remaining 3 had only cleft lip. The common features noticed in them are as
follows:

Sun’s role
is predominant in the cleft lip- alone cases. (Sun is the signifactor for
lips)

There is a
80% chance of 6th lord or the sub lord of the 6th
cusp getting connected with 2nd house in cleft palate cases
where deformity of teeth is a main feature.

Nine out of
ten cases had Jupiter connected with some factor of the 8th
house. The complicity of 8th house feature signifies Nija or
inherent defect from birth. Jupiter is the signifactor for the 3rd
month in womb when this defect takes place. Therefore the logic is that
Jupiter must exhibit some connection to 8th house in the birth
chart and it is found manifest.

So astrologically speaking, this defect is karmic
and ingrained in the physical formation of the person. But my experience,
understanding and clarity that emerges with age and state of mind make me say
that if the individual Self (soul or Jiva) so determines to avoid a calamity
like this (cleft palate / lip) and if the parents are also to get relieved of
the pain and sufferings in getting a child with this problem and managing it,
there does exist an element in the form of eclipse during the pregnancy, to
avoid or do away with a trigger factor for such a syndrome.

When the karmic cause is strong, the syndrome is
anyway going to manifest, whether there was an eclipse or not. But in the event
of a karmic cause that can be postponed (to another birth) or having a less
degree of impact, who knows, eclipse may act as a trigger!

So better be on the safe side than to take a risk – however
remote it may be – as no last word has been heard on it from science.

The Aug. 21 total solar eclipse that will be visible
across a swath of the United States is not a danger to pregnant women, despite
a handful of traditional myths linking eclipses to dangers in pregnancy.

These myths don't seem as prevalent for the 2017
eclipse as they have been for previous eclipses, like those in the 1990s, said
E.C. Krupp, an astronomer and the director of Los Angeles' Griffith
Observatory. Still, echoes of the myths remain online: The parenting site
Romper recently published a piece contrasting the attitudes of Eastern and
Western medicine regarding
eclipses and pregnancy, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch rounded
up some traditional eclipse superstitions.

"This kind of thing often comes up in casual
conversation," Krupp told Live Science. In a 1998 article for Sky &
Telescope, Krupp wrote that people asked him whether solar and lunar eclipses
cause birth defects or miscarriages whenever the events are nigh. [The 8 Most
Famous Solar Eclipses in History]

Traditional beliefs

Before the advent of modern astronomy explained that
eclipses result from the normal celestial movements of sun, moon and
Earth, cultures
had to make their own explanations. Most of these were supernatural in
nature. As Live
Science's sister site Space.com reported, the Toba people of South America
believed that spectral jaguars attacking the moon caused the deep red hue of a
lunar eclipse. The Hindu text the Mahabharata, written
around 400 B.C., blamed the solar eclipse on the head of the demon Rahu, which consumes the moon and the
sun but then passes them through its disembodied neck.

"When an eclipse takes place, it really does
shake the foundations of things," Krupp said, especially from the point of
view of an ancient farmer or hunter who depends on the reliable movements of
the sun or moon across the sky. Thus, Krupp said, many myths highlight the
potential dangers of an eclipse, or associate eclipses with vengeful deities.

Multiple cultures developed superstitions
specifically about pregnant women and eclipses. The Aztecs believed lunar
eclipses might turn gestating fetuses into mice, according to Bernardino de
Sahagún, a Franciscan missionary to what is now Mexico who wrote about Aztec
beliefs starting in 1529. The people of traditional Mexican cultures and some
South Asian cultures associated eclipses with cleft palate, a common birth
defect in which the upper lip and upper palate of the mouth fail to fuse.

This concern for pregnant women might have stemmed
from associations between women and the moon due to the menstrual cycle, Krupp
said. Or it could just be that pregnant women and their unborn babies seemed
particularly at-risk when the sky did alarming things.

"It's hard to imagine, in any society, anyone
more vulnerable than a pregnant woman," Krupp said.

All about the eyes

In reality, the only physical danger from the
eclipse has nothing to do with pregnancy, fetuses or the womb. (Cleft palate is
caused by a mix of genetic and environmental factors, and can result from certain chemical
exposures or medications, according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — not by a 2-minute
obscuring of the sun or moon.)

The actual danger of an eclipse relates to the eyes.
The partially obscured sun is just as bright as the sun on any normal day,
Krupp said. At totality, when the solar disk is fully covered, it's safe to
look at the eclipse directly, but ONLY during that very short time, which can
last just a minute or less. But before or after totality, or if the eclipse is
only a partial eclipse from your viewing area, solar
eclipse glasses from a reputable dealer are a must. Genuine No. 14 welder's
glass is also safe for solar eclipse viewing, Krupp said. Looking at the solar
eclipse directly, outside of totality, can
damage a person's eyes.

But otherwise, don't panic, Krupp said. "People
hear [that] you can't look at the sun, and they get the idea that somehow,
maybe the eclipse is not safe," he said. With proper eye protection, he
said, it's not only safe, but also a chance to stand in awe of the cosmos —
something both the pregnant and nonpregnant can enjoy.

"We have a chance to see the solar system
actually working, to see the laws of gravity moving before our very eyes,"
Krupp said.

Few things strike awe in human beings like a good
eclipse. Most spend their daily lives feeling pretty disconnected from the
universe they live in, but when eclipse time rolls around, everyone excitedly
perks up and pays attention. But given the fact that a woman's menstrual cycle
is lunar, combined with pregnancy myths about
everything under the sun (no pun intended), some women feel concerned. Is the solar eclipse harmful during pregnancy?

According to NASA, a solar eclipse "is an eclipse in which the moon
passes between the sun and Earth and blocks all or part of the sun for up to
about three hours, from beginning to end, as viewed from a given
location."

In Eastern cultures, the activity of the moon is
taken seriously in consideration of the health and behavior of people, and
especially pregnant women. Dr.
Sujata Mittal, a practicing OB-GYN in India, tells Romper, "Everything
in the cosmos has some effect on human beings. Rays emitted at the time of a
solar eclipse have negative energy and hence a negative effect on a fetus, as
fetuses are highly sensitive to the influence of ionic energy on mother's
skin."

But don't freak out just yet. Remember, medical
wisdom can vary pretty widely from culture to culture. Most medical and science
experts in Western countries maintain that a solar eclipse has no effect on
pregnancy.

Proving just how influential our spot on the globe
can be in our perception of science and medicine, Jay Pasachoff, Chair of the
Working Group on Solar Eclipses of the International Astronomical Union, dismisses
any notion that an eclipse could affect pregnancy. "Of course not.
How could it?" Pasachoff rhetorically asks Romper in an interview. "At a solar eclipse, the sun is merely being covered, so there
is less of its light shining on Earth. There is no way that could affect
pregnancy or labor."

Ann Mullen, Health Education Director at
reproductive health company Cycle Technologies, says that to her knowledge there is no scientific evidence
that a solar eclipse is harmful to a pregnant woman or her fetus. In an
interview with Romper, Mullen concludes, "There are some myths around
solar eclipses, but pregnant women should feel perfectly safe." New York
OB-GYN Dr.
Amos Grunebaum agrees. "A solar eclipse has no special effect on
any pregnancy," he tells Romper.

The bottom line? Pregnant woman are almost certainly
unaffected by the presence of a solar eclipse, but if you're worried, talk to
your care provider about your concerns. If you prefer to follow Eastern
medicine, you might be interested in some of the popular guidelines recommended. But if you want to
experience the thrill along with everyone else, don't feel guilty about pulling
up a blanket in a clear viewing spot. Just be sure there's someone to help you
get back up when it's over.

4 comments:

It is very likely that Palaniswami govt. will lose majority in Tamil Nadu Assembly.AIADMK Party is in control of Sasikala and TTV Dhinakaran.Will TTV Dhinakaran who has the money power to bring more MLA's to his camp become the next Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu ? or is Tamil Nadu heading towards President rule ?

I don't think the govt would fall now. Dinakaran cannot do anything as he is not in power. At the most he can keep threatening. Only if the MLAs under him resign, the crisis will develop. But I don't think they will resign. If they resign, that is the end of their political career. So they wont resign.

In a few days we will know if ADMK is accommodated in the central cabinet. If yes, that would bring a lot of rethink among the MLAs under Dinakaran. Who would like to forego the chance in power and be on the side of power? Everyone knows that Dinakaran and his money cannot win even a councilor seat. They are there with him in the belief that EPS would relent. Why should EPS relent? So I don't think there is any threat to Govt.

Thank You for replying to my query madam.I have seen news that 19 MLAs supporting TTV Dinakaran gave a memorandum to Tamil Nadu governor Vidhyasagar Rao that they have withdrawn their support to Palaniswami government and have sought a new Chief Minister. The 19 AIADMK MLA's were taken to a Resort in Puducherry to safeguard them from switching loyalty.Opposition leader Stalin, has asked Governor for a floor test in the Tamil Nadu assembly alleging that 22 MLAs from the AIADMK have withdrawn their support to the current government.The main reason I asked you this query was because I didn't understand if 19 AIADMK MLA's avoid from coming to assembly and continue to stay in the Resort in Puducherry how Palaniswami government will prove its majority in the Tamil Nadu assembly if Governor agrees to Opposition demand and calls for a floor test.